Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Jean Kilbourne: Killing Us Softly

Wikipedia: Killing Us SoftlyKilling Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women is an American, feminist documentary by Jean Kilbourne, distributed by Cambridge Documentaries. The documentary was first released in 1979 and has since been updated and re-released several times, most recently in 2010, with added and revised footage and commentary. The documentary focuses on images of women in advertising, in particular on gender stereotypes, the effects of advertising on women's self-image and the objectification of women's bodies.

Wikipedia: Jean KilbourneJean Kilbourne, Ed.D. (born January 4, 1943) is an author, speaker, and filmmaker who is internationally recognized for her work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. She is also credited with introducing the idea of educating about media literacy as a way to prevent problems she viewed as originating from mass media advertising campaigns. She also lectures about the topic, and her documentaries (such as the Killing Us Softly series) based on these lectures are viewed around the world.

Wikipedia: ObjectificationIn social philosophy, objectification means treating a person as a thing, without regard to their dignity.

Wikipedia: Sexual objectificationSexual objectification is the act of treating a person merely as an instrument of sexual pleasure, making them a "sex object". Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object, without regard to their personality or dignity.

References

my blog: Miss Representation: You can't be what you can't see - May 24/2012Miss Representation is a 2011 American documentary film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It explores how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in influential positions by circulating limited and often disparaging portrayals of women. The film premiered in the documentary competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.